Before the Champions Cup match between La Rochelle of France and the Johannesburg Lions, players stood with heads bowed, some in tears, during a minute's silence for South African rugby player Hyron Andrews. The match was played at Stade Marcel-Deflandre in La Rochelle.
Andrews, 31, died in France on Friday, just before the match. SA Rugby and the Lions confirmed the death of the 31-year-old lock.
The No. 5 jersey once worn by Andrews was placed on the pitch, and an image of him with his full name, Hyron Diego Andrews, was shown on the stadium's big screen.
On Saturday, several Lions players wept, while others tilted their heads back, closed their eyes and held each other tightly. Spectators at Stade Marcel-Deflandre applauded after the minute's silence, and the French club presented the Lions coaching staff with a La Rochelle shirt.
Television images showed the Lions players huddled in a circle in the dressing room before emerging onto the pitch. La Rochelle's players, led by captain Gregory Alldritt, wore black armbands.
La Rochelle attack coach Remi Tales told beIN SPORTS that some of the French team's players went to the Lions' hotel on Friday to offer support and solidarity. After talks between the two sides, the teams agreed the match would go ahead. La Rochelle won 31-14.
La Rochelle's lawyer, Arnaud Laraize, told the AP news agency that Andrews was found in a shower cubicle locked from the inside on Friday morning. About an hour earlier, he had been in a hammam steam bath.
According to people close to him, Andrews had shown no sign of health problems in the preceding days. An investigation into the cause of death has been opened, and an autopsy is expected to be carried out.
SA Rugby said Andrews died after a fall. He also played for the KZN Sharks and England's Sale Sharks.
"We are deeply saddened by the passing of Hyron. He was not only a talented rugby player but also a beloved member of the wider Lions family, having only joined us this season," SA Rugby chief executive Rudolf Straeuli said.
Sale Sharks also sent condolences: "Sincere condolences to his wife, his sons and his family, friends and the entire Lions team." Andrews played 45 matches for Sale.
"Hyron was a great guy and a great teammate. On the pitch he was very skilful, and off it he was always the friend everyone wanted to sit down and have a beer with," Sale Sharks rugby director Alex Sanderson said. "He was funny and charismatic in his own way, with a distinctive dry humour, and all the players loved playing alongside him and being around him."
